San Rafael Swell Area | on the wing photography

Close Encounter of the Snake Kind!

By Mia McPherson, on October 15th, 2011%

Midget Faded Rattlesnake full body
The Wedge Overlook, Emery County, Utah
Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 122mm, natural light

Yesterday I returned home from a camping and bird photography trip to the San Rafael Swell area located in Emery County in central Utah and even though there weren’t many birds to speak of in the area I still had an awesome time. Normally we camp near the San Rafael Recreation area near the swinging bridge but when we scoped that area out we didn’t see or hear any birds so we headed to The Wedge Overlook hoping there might be some birds in that area, maybe migrants moving through or raptors soaring on the thermals.

We were checking out the campsites at the top of The Wedge to see if we could manouver the camping trailer into the the one closest to the edge of the overlook and because getting in to a campsite is sometimes easier than getting out so we got out of the pickup to walk around the site. At one point I could not resist the urge to walk over to the peer down into the Little Grand Canyon and the San Rafael River 1200 feet below. The views are incredible.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake headshot
The Wedge Overlook, Emery County, Utah
Nikon D200, handheld, f10, 1/500, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light

I was totally focused on the scenery in front of me as I walked between two gnarly old Junipers that might have been spaced about 12 feet apart and wasn’t watching my foot placement as closely as I should have been when I heard a very distinctive buzzing sound, it probably only took me 1/100th of a second to realize that I had walked too close to an extremely well camoflauged Rattlesnake. I estimate that I was within a mere 15 inches or so of stepping on it.

Talk about an easy way to get the adrenalin flowing, and it did!

Now Ron will tell you that I “squealed like a girl”, I’m not sure about that but I do know I made a sound as I jumped back away from the Rattlesnake, I hadn’t even seen it clearly at that point because it blended into the habitat so well. It took me a few seconds to even form the words “It’s a rattlesnake”. The snake was only about 14 to 15 inches in length but even at that small size it had startled me quite sufficiently.

Midget Faded Rattlesnake close up
The Wedge Overlook, Emery County, Utah
Nikon D200, handheld, f10, 1/64, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 165mm, natural light

I scurried over to the pickup to grab my backup D200 with the 70-300mm VR lens attached and Ron’s “little camera” because our longer lenses would have been overkill while Ron kept an eye on my “find”. I took 46 images of the Rattlesnake, probably half of them were sharp, the others were not so sharp thanks to taking them handheld with too much adrenalin coursing through my body which caused my hands to shake!

I’m not certain about the identification of the snake, it may be a young Great Basin Rattlesnake - Crotalus oreganus lutosus or a Midget Faded Rattlesnake – Crotalus oreganus concolor. It might be another croatline subspecies too. If anyone reading this can identify the snake, I would certainly like to know.

Edit: I’ve been informed by Jamison Hensley; who knows far more about rattlesnakes than I, that this is a Midget Faded Rattlesnake – Crotalus oreganus concolor. Check his blog out here.

I spent the rest of the trip in the San Rafael Swell area very carefully watching where I put my feet because I didn’t want another Close Encounter of the Snake Kind!

Mia

PS. Maybe I did “squeal like a girl”, I was rather “rattled“.

Lazuli Bunting males

By Mia McPherson, on December 15th, 2010%

Lazuli Bunting male perched on greasewood

Lazuli Bunting male perched on Greasewood
San Rafael Swell, Utah
D200, f7.1, 1/500, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

In June of 2010 my friend Ron and I went camping in the San Rafael Swell area of Utah, we were fortunate to find quite a few Lazuli Buntings (Passerina amoena) in the areas near the campgrounds. The females did not seem to be present but their more subtle coloring does camouflage them well and we may have missed spotting them. The males; however, were present and singing atop shrubs and bushes.

The male Lazuli Bunting above was perched on a Greasewood (Sacrobatus vermiculatus) shrub near the campgrounds by the river. The name of this species comes from Lapis Lazuli, a blue semiprecious blue gemstone. Lapis Lazuli is one of my favorite gemstones to work with when fashioning jewelry and it goes great with blue jeans.

Lazuli Bunting with sky in the background

Lazuli Bunting with sky in the background
San Rafael Swell, Utah
D200, f8, 1/1000, ISO 250, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds. Lazuli Buntings occur in open, disturbed habitats, thickets and along waterways. They winter from southern Arizona down to southwestern Mexico.

Lazuli Bunting male with Navajo and Entrada sandstone in the background

Lazuli Bunting male with Navajo and Entrada sandstone in the background
San Rafael Swell, Utah
D200, f8, 1/1000, ISO 250, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

The San Rafael Swell area has abundant formations of Navajo and Entrada sandstone which provides beautiful backgrounds that compliment the Lazuli Buntings coloration. They also have a habit of perching high on top of bushes which helps to give clear views of this species when photographing.

Male Lazuli Bunting singing with canyon walls in the background

Male Lazuli Bunting singing with canyon walls in the background
San Rafael Swell, Utah
D200, f8, 1/1000, ISO 250, 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, -0.3 EV, natural light

It seemed that the buntings were the most active early in the morning and late afternoon, this image was taken in late afternoon light while the male Lazuli Bunting was singing, the sweet calls bouncing off of the canyon walls. I hope that next year I’ll have many more opportunities with this colorful species.

Mia

Utah Rocks – Really!

By Mia McPherson, on November 20th, 2010%

Human and Snake Pictograph, San Rafael Swell, Utah

While camping at the San Rafael Swell I had the pleasure of seeing and photographing some of the petroglyphs and pictographs in the area. The Fremont and Barrier Canyon cultures created this rock art on the face of the rock wall, the Barrier Canyon culture about 2000 years ago and the Fremont culture about 1000 years ago. All the images here were taken with my point and shoot Nikon Coolpix S550, if I return to that area I will photograph them again with one of my DSLR’s in better light.

Snakes were common figures on rock art, the image above shows a single snake and a single human figure. The snake may represent a family group or clan, but no one knows for sure.

Sheep Petroglyph, San Rafael Swell, Utah Sheep Petroglyph, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Petroglyphs are pecked into the rock while pictographs are painted onto the rock. The figure in the petroglyph above may be a sheep, at the time this petroglyph was created there may have been many herds of Desert Bighorn Sheep in the area. Petroglyphs were usually carved on dark rock faces so for me this one being carved on a light colored rock wall is unusual.

The Alcove Paintings, San Rafael Swell, Utah The Alcove Paintings, San Rafael Swell, Utah

The collection of figures on the rock art wall above are known as The Alcove Paintings. The artist or artists appear to have used a natural curve under the figures that almost makes it look like they are on a stage.

Petroglyphs and pictographs are protected by state and federal laws and fines are very high for those who deface them. You can clearly see the word “Dan” chiseled into the wall below the figures as well as other initials. It is a shame that whoever left those names and characters on this wall didn’t see the value of the treasure before them.

Rain Angels Pictograph, San Rafael Swell, Utah

The artists and the culture present when the image above must have known and understood what the long fringes on the head and arms of the figures above stood for. There is speculation that it may have represented lightning, lines of power or rain. The long lines were painted on purpose, they weren’t just drips of paint. The tallest figure has holes pecked in the torso. When I look at this I see a family; the tallest figure representing the male, the shorter figure on the right as a female and the small one on the left could be a young child.

The Buckhorn Panel Pictograph, San Rafael Swell, Utah

The intricate shapes and designs of the Buckhorn Panel are fascinating to me. The human figures are elongated, there appear to be sheep, birds flying over the heads of the figures and on the lower section perhaps an early fence. I’m just speculating on that though. The longer you look at this panel the more details you will see.

Pictographs with pecked holes, San Rafael Swell, Utah

The figures above were painted and then holes were pecked into the chests. I’ve wondered if those holes represented the heart of the figures. There is a small figure second from the right that made me wonder if it was a coyote, it also has a hole in the chest. Some of the human figures appear to be holding spears or tools of some sort. What story did this panel tell? We may never know.

We are losing this valuable rock art

Wind, water and ice are having their effect on rock art. Wind picks up particles of dust that can slowly wear away the surface of the rock art, removing the paint of pictographs and softening the lines of petroglyphs. Water from rains can leave mineral deposits that will evetually cover the art work. Ice in cracks of the rock can cause sections of panels to fall away becuase of the freeze – thaw cycle.

Humans touching the art work can also cause harm to the petroglyphs and pictographs by rubbing on the art work, leaving oils from our hands which can degrade the paints used and as you saw in an image above some careless individuals can’t resist leaving their initials behind.

We need to protect these national treasures so that peprhaps one day we might understand the meaning behind the art. At the very least they should be protected so that generations ot come can visit and admire the works of these native american cultures.

Panel of Petroglyphs and Pictographs, San Rafael Swell, Utah

I always wonder what the lives of these ancient peoples were like and these petroglyphs and pictographs always feel like openings in small windows of the past to me.

Mia